Mara-NO-a has spoken: 'It's my job to respect their views'

THE verdict in the same sex marriage vote today was a resounding yes but not all electorates agreed, including Warwick's own electorate of Maranoa.

Maranoa recorded a no vote of 56.1percent with 80,783 people participating in the survey, representing 77.9percent of the electorate.

Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said everybody's views should be respected and he would be submitting a no vote when the legislation is introduced to parliament.

"I'm comfortable and was always going to respect the views of the Maranoa," he said.

"They've given me a clear direction and it's my job to respect their views.

"I have said I didn't support same sex marriage but had the vote come back as a yes then I would have voted yes."

Mr Littleproud said it was difficult to gauge how the electorate would vote as very few people approached him to talk about the postal vote.

"I think that many people in Maranoa are probably far more conservative than other parts of the country, they have a value system many predicated on strong religious beliefs," he said.

"People, particularly in Maranoa, have their views and they like to express those views in the privacy of their own homes."

Mr Littleproud said it was shocking to see strong no votes in Sydney seats, some of which were higher than the Maranoa result.

"The metropolitan areas have portrayed a view of the Maranoa as a backwater but I think they should look in their own backyard," he said.

There were three Queensland electorates recording a majority of no votes, with Groom and Kennedy joining Maranoa with 50.8percent and 53.3percent respectively.

Across Australia, 17 of the 150 electorates recorded a no majority.

Overall Australia returned a vote of 61.6percent in favour of same sex marriage.

Queensland also voted yes overall, with a final split of 60.7percent yes and 39.3percent no votes.

It was revealed 79.5percent of eligible Australians took part in the survey.

Mr Littleproud said the legislation could be introduced as early as today and a finalised bill ready by Christmas.

"Australians have spoken and resolved the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry.

" It's now up to elected representatives to organise the legislation and I'll play a constructive role to make sure it meets society's expectations.

"Religious freedom and whether same-sex marriage would be included in our education system were consistently raised with me as areas of concerns so, as the Maranoa MP, I will make sure my electorate's strong voice will form part of this further debate," Mr Littleproud said.